You can lose a draft before you make a pick. The Bears did it at the trade table, overpaying to chase players the board did not price nearly as high.

If Allen pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about. That interior defensive lineman hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall. It is a bet on later, and a defensible one for a team playing the long game.

The roster is better shaped than it was, with edge rusher chief among the fixes.

In sum, a sensible class that nudges the roster the right way.